The Ghost Memory PV Miren . H

♣ Date: 21/03/2026

outfit ♣

Miren found herself walking on the shore of the Great Lake, which became one of her favourite places rather quickly. With its atmosphere, magical beasts and mysteries, it was almost as captivating as the castle itself. As usual, she didn't come here with a particular goal in mind. It was just the quiet solitude she always found here, that drew her in.
With hands in her pockets and eyes fixed on the ground under her feet while listening to the birds and quiet sounds of water, Miren didn't notice she wasn't alone at first. Only when she stood a few meters away did the other young girl leaning against a tree enter her peripheral vision, causing Miren to notice the company. Usually, she would keep walking without even acknowledging the person's presence but there was just something that intrigued her about the girl, although she couldn't quite put a finger on what. Perhaps it was the drawing in the sketchbook next to her? Whatever it was, the fact, that she couldn't bring herself to ignore her and keep walking, annoyed her greatly. Miren watched the art for a while longer from behind the other girl, before letting out a simple: "Who's that?" She seemed disinterested and sounded indifferent, as always, despite the slight intrigue under her cold front.

♣ interractions: @Marcella di Angelo

Sta 7 | Eva 4 | Str 3 | Wis 7 | Arc 8 | Acc 6 ♣

Marcella snapped out of her stupor as a voice sounded in her ears. She turned to see a girl. "Who's what?" she asked, a bit confused at the girl's question. Realisation seeped through slowly. "Oh, do you mean the girl in the drawing? She's my interpretation of my great-great-grandmother Voltra," she said, offering the girl a small smile. "I'm Marcella di Angelo, by the way. What's your name?" she asked the other young girl. She seemed to be about her age. "Are you a first year?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. The girl looked uninterested. Marcella was always told to be straightforward and slightly diabolical because of that very reason. Marcella always put up a cautious front because she never intended to get hurt.

Marcella scooted a bit away from her initial position. “Would you like to sit here?” She asked, looking up at the girl. She thought it was quite rude to keep the girl standing instead of offering her a seat. The two young girls sat down in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. “Do you often come here?” Marcella asked, breaking the silence, as her curiosity, once more, got the best of her.

♣ Date: 21/03/2026

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Miren didn't bother clarifying who she meant. Instead, she simply raised an unimpressed eyebrow and remained silent, letting the girl figure it out herself. Once the realization finally set in, Miren got the explanation she'd asked for. Great-great-grandmother... Voltra doesn't ring a bell. "Hm. Is there something special about her or is the drawing nothing but a simple sentiment?" she asked coldly, almost as if the latter was nothing deserving of respect from her. Which it probably was. For her, sentiments were just an obstacle in one's way to their goal. A weakness. Something worth avoiding, although she was aware that it was not always possible. It was, however, always exploitable. That's why she preferred to keep hers hidden and kept track of others'. Of course, while Miren was willing to use any means to gain what she wanted, she was not some heartless monster either. Despite everything, she understood feelings and sentimental values of other people very well. She just refused to let it get in her way most of the time.
The girl continued, introducing herself as Marcella and asking about her new stoic company afterwards. "Miren. First year, Slytherin." Miren kept her own introduction very brief, narrowing her eyes in quiet suspicion when Marcella invited her to sit down next to her. For a few seconds, Miren just stood there in silence, contemplating the offer, before finally walking closer and sitting down beside the other girl. She still maintained a reasonable distance between them, however.
For a few minutes, they just sat there, neither of them speaking. One of Miren's knees was up with her arm casually resting against it, as she watched the lake. Unsurprisingly, it was Marcella, who broke the silence. "Only when-" Miren started, not taking her eyes off of the water surface, but cut herself off. After a few more seconds of silence, she added a simple cold: "Yes." She gave Marcella one of her sharp sideways glances and, surprisingly, actually returned the question: "Do you?" Perhaps there really was something about the lake, that made her feel more at ease.

♣ interractions: @Marcella di Angelo

Sta 7 | Eva 4 | Str 3 | Wis 7 | Arc 8 | Acc 6 ♣

Marcella rewinded the memory of last spring. "She had died five decades ago in our family's manor in Milan... And she rarely allows herself to be seen," she said, pausing. "My family and I had gone to Milan to visit my grandparents, who live there. One evening, when the rest of my family had planned to go out to a ball, I stayed home alone. When I was going through the attic, in search of my mother's journal, I felt someone looking at me, and when I turned, I saw her......my great-great-grandmother Voltra di Angelo."

Marcella remembered the moment vividly. Her great-great-grandmother was standing by the doorway, staring at her. She remembered the feeling of shock and confusion. Mama Voltra wasn't someone who approached a person all the time. She barely talks, but she had talked to Marcella. Vincere aut mori Conquer or die...remember who you are, tesoro. "I drew her as a reminder of that spring. About how I achieved something most di Angelos rarely do" she said, with a slightly bitter undertone.

She nodded as the girl introduced herself. Miren... It was a beautiful name. "Not much of a talker, huh? I used to fancy thinking I wasn't much of a talkative person either. But sometimes somethings, it's just beyond your control..." She said, remembering the things she had said to herself. The more friends you have, the more enemies you make. Marcella let out a bitter chuckle.

Silence was desperate to fill the space between the young first years. Surprisingly, Miren answered her question. "I come here when I need to collect my thoughts or when I need some time alone" she said.

♣ Date: 21/03/2026

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Miren listened to Marcella's story about her great-great-grandmother with her usual stoic expression, but she would be lying if she said it didn't intrigue her at least a little. "She's a ghost, then. Did she talk to you?" The Slytherin couldn't help but ask. Perhaps there really was something more to the whole encounter. It sure sounded mysterious, if not anything else, and mysteries were something that never failed to intrigue and fascinate her. Marcella did say that she rarely appeared, there surely must be a reason she showed herself to her specifically, right?
While trying to think of an explanation, Miren looked sideways and observed the girl next to her more carefully as if that would help satisfy her curiosity. Marcella seemed to be lost in the memory before breaking the silence once again. "So you're special?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and, of course, a good amount of scepticism. It was clear that she didn't see Marcella as such, and she wasn't afraid to let her know.
The statement about Miren's talkativeness, or lack of, her company made earned just the slightest narrowing of her eyes as she stared in the distance. As proof of Marcella's declaration, another moment of silence filled the air. But, surprisingly enough, it was Miren who broke it this time. "What changed?" She asked, staring somewhere ahead for a while longer before finally turning her head to look at the dark-haired girl next to her. "You said you weren't a talker. So what changed?"
Marcella's explanation of her own reasons for visiting this place was more than understandable. The lake was made for it. "It is... Peaceful here." That was something even Miren couldn't disagree with. She looked back at the water again before adding: "So, which of the two is it now?"

♣ interractions: @Marcella di Angelo

Sta 7 | Eva 4 | Str 3 | Wis 7 | Arc 8 | Acc 6 ♣

She sighed. It sure was hard work, trying to get the girl to talk. The child of death wracked her brain in order to provide an answer for a question she'd rather not answer. After a few minutes of consideration, she spoke. "She delivered the prophecy given to me at the time of my birth. Not the best day of my life, really." She leaned her head backwards, breathing in the morning air.

"I think not. But like a wise person once said, please don't ask me who," she chuckled, "everyone is special." She caught a flying leaf in her hand. Turning to the Slytherin girl, she asked something that she hoped would make her think. "Tell me, Miren. What do you define as special? Is it the ability to do something others can't? Is it being wealthy and pureblooded? Is it being favoured and loved? Tell me, what is your meaning of special?" she asked, staring into the eyes of her company. After a long pause, she continued, "To me, special is simply being able to live happily, with a lesser burden than many hold. If you ask me in those terms, Miren, then I am truly not special, for I believe I hold more unhappiness than I initially thought I did. I barely hold up the burdens that have been piled on me."

She pondered the girl's question. "Many things. All thanks to my best friend..." she smiled in nostalgia. She remembered boarding the Hogwarts train for the first time. She remembered the feeling and the racing of her heart as she walked down the corridor, lugging her baggage behind her in a desperate hurry to find a compartment to sit in. And like that, she met the girl who flipped her world upside down. "Ava Lynn. To know her is to know the warmth the mother bird radiates as she cares for her offspring, to know her is to know how the gentle breeze caresses the young traveller, to know her is to know how the sunflower loves its other half. To know her is to know love in its truest and wholesome form. For the girl who I owe my life to, I'd do anything."

"She helped me realize that being talkative was not a weakness but rather a strength, as we are able to converse the truths of our minds from the depths of our hearts."

She smiled as she listened to the Slytherin girl speak, "Both actually. But your presence here has helped me more than I had anticipated. I do not know whether we'll meet again, Miren. And I do not know whether you wish to see me around, but I hope to see you soon." she said with a smile as she slowly got up from her place.

♣ Date: 21/03/2026

outfit ♣

Miren listened to the girl’s answer about her ancestor with her usual cold expression. "Hm," she brushed it off with an unimpressed hum and a barely noticeable shrug of her shoulders. But if one looked more closely, a spark of interest and curiosity appeared in her eyes as she observed the girl beside her.

The question that followed only strengthened the feeling. What do I define as special? She repeated Marcella’s words in her mind, looking back at the lake, avoiding looking at her simply to put at least some barrier between them. This girl seemed to actually think about things in a way similar to Miren’s. Something that most people weren’t able to evoke in her. Marcella seemed to have something others didn’t, which made Miren feel more at ease in her presence. And truth to be told, it confused and scared her. She wasn’t used to being open, vulnerable, or even just comfortable around other people, and the fact that Marcella had this exact effect on her without even trying was scary.

"Nobody’s special," Miren finally replied, forcing her own tone to be colder before adding more quietly: "Not really…" She paused for a while, intending to stop there, but in the end decided to actually share her thoughts in a bit warmer, though still distant tone of voice: "You’re right about one thing, Marcella. It does depend on the point of view, which truly makes everyone special in one way or another. But if that’s the case and everyone is, exceptionality kind of loses its relevance." The paradoxical truth, however, was that Miren considered herself to be special in a way. Someone able to see things as they really were. A part of her hated how hypocritical it was, but the other one? The other one loved it.

"Yeah, nice fairytale you have there," she got out sarcastically after hearing about Marcella’s best friend. In her opinion, it sounded too nice to be true, a miracle almost. And Miren didn’t let herself believe in those. Couldn't.

Once Marcella left, Miren stayed sitting there, leaning back against the tree for a while longer. She just stared at the lake, thinking about the whole encounter that made her feel so uncomfortably vulnerable for a few more minutes before finally standing up and leaving as well.

♣ interractions: @Marcella di Angelo

Sta 7 | Eva 4 | Str 3 | Wis 7 | Arc 8 | Acc 6 ♣